Cook wants to focus on cricket

Alastair Cook and England are back in action against Australia at Durham

England and Australia are set to rejoin their Ashes battle on Friday morning, doubtless hoping for a rare day free of Decision Review System controversy.

Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke have spent more time than they might care to over the past two days issuing robust denials of claims that players have been using silicone tape to mask the evidence of Hot Spot technology to show up caught-behind edges.

It is unlikely they will find any lasting sanctuary out in the middle at the start of the fourth Investec Test at Chester-le-Street, however, after this summer's apparently unending sequence of DRS controversies.

Cook, whose team retained the Ashes at Emirates Old Trafford on Monday via an unassailable 2-0 lead with two to play, has described the Hot Spot furore as "laughable" and a "fabrication".

He has nonetheless described a "good outcome" from his meeting, alongside England management staff, with International Cricket Council specialist Geoff Allardice.

That opportunity, at the behest of ICC, was one Cook's opposite number Clarke was happy to pass over - Australia instead represented by coach Darren Lehmann and manager Gavin Dovey.

The England captain accepts occasional controversies as an occupational hazard, but does regret that his team's achievement in retaining the Ashes - albeit on an incongruously damp day in Manchester - has been overshadowed.

"The actual moment was behind closed doors, then over the last couple of days there has been a bit of a media storm," he said. "We knew it would happen at some stage in the Ashes.

"It's taken a bit of gloss over fact we managed to 'win' it in such a short space of time. But that's out of our control."

As for those reports about the silicone loophole, from Channel 9 - which resulted on Wednesday in a denial via Twitter from an outraged Kevin Pietersen and the England and Wales Cricket Board's demand for an apology and explanation from the Australian broadcaster - Cook predictably endorsed those reactions.

"Both sides have laughed at it," he said. "We've been laughing at it in our dressing room, how strange a story it is and how absurd it is - because it's just so blatantly not true."

Channel 9 insisted it had never accused any players of cheating and had merely been reporting the "concerns" of Hot Spot inventor Warren Brennan.

A Nine Network official said in a statement to Press Association Sport: "We have been reporting on the story and have never made any allegations about players cheating.

"Concerns about the use of tape on bats reducing the effectiveness of Hot Spot have come from the creator of the technology, Warren Brennan.

"He raised these concerns with the ICC. As a result, extensive testing has been carried out by Brennan and the ICC has conceded that there may be an issue worth further investigation."